


Stereo Queen (Halloween Special)

by JadeJem



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma Attack, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Halloween, I Ship It, I Will Go Down With This Ship, LadyNoir - Freeform, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, adrienette - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-01-18
Packaged: 2019-03-06 12:29:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13411293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeJem/pseuds/JadeJem
Summary: "Ladybug," Chat tries, ducking as Ladybug aims a kick at his head, "please. It's me, your partner!" But she doesn't seem to hear him through whatever pain is coursing through her.What could be causing her so much pain that she can't even register the fact that he's talking?Then, Chat notices her lips mouthing something. With every punch she throws and kick she aims, Chat is able to watch her mouth make the same shape every single time.A name. She's mouthing a name.He ducks when she tries to elbow him in the head. He has to find a way to trap her so he can figure out who she's talking about. Then, he can go get that person and cure whatever it is that Ladybug is feeling! Because, if Chat is being honest with himself, he can't defeat this akuma while his Lady is fighting him.





	Stereo Queen (Halloween Special)

**Author's Note:**

> Another Halloween Special I did solo. 
> 
> Enjoy. ;)

Marinette shivers on the freezing Parisian evening, gripping her bare shoulders. "Remind me again why we're walking to Chloé's lame Halloween party?" Marinette asks sarcastically, biting the inside of her cheek to keep her teeth from chattering. The goosebumps that have haunted her skin from the moment they had left the Césaire household are beginning to feel permanent.

Alya hugs her shawl tighter around herself, and a pang of jealousy whacks Marinette right in the chest. "Mom is catering another Halloween party across the city, and dad took my siblings trick-or-treating in that really rich neighborhood," Alya sniffs, rubbing her numb cheek on her shoulder in hopes of getting some feeling back.

"How's that for lucky?" Marinette mutters to her bag, where Tikki resides, wrapped in one of her gloves. Tikki pokes her tongue out at her holder and burrows deeper into the knitted fabric. Marinette snaps her bag shut with a huff and rubs her hands up and down her arms. "Why'd you choose to be Ladybug?" she asks Alya, eyeing her own less high-quality suit with skepticism.

"Because Ladybug is awesome," Alya defends, fumbling with the decorative, non-magical yo-yo. "Plus, Nino wanted to be Chat Noir, so it worked out perfectly!"

Marinette hums, though more in annoyance than delight. Of course, Alya and Nino have already gotten together, meanwhile Marinette has been pining after Adrien for what feels like an _eternity!_ When will he finally notice her burning affection? The boy is about as oblivious as a chicken in a butcher shop.

"It's too bad Adrien's blind," Marinette mutters bitterly, loud enough for Alya to hear.

"Hey," Alya places a hand on her shoulder, "it's okay. If he's too blind to see you, then he isn't worth it. Let him chase someone else and miss you. He'll realize what he let slip through his fingers when the time comes."

Marinette grimaces. "Thanks, Alya."

But she doesn't know if she can even let him go.

**_*    *    *_ **

"Cool costume, dude!"

"Yeah?" Adrien asks, pleased. "Just watched the movie for the first time last week and thought it was pretty awesome."

"Leave it to Adrien to be Hercules," Nino snickers, patting his best friend on the back as the other guys lounge around in Adrien's room.

Nathaniel leans against the base of Adrien's couch. "Should we get going now?"

"Yeah!" Kim whoops. "I'm ready to party!"

"According to my calculations," Max speaks up, adjusting his glasses and looking down at his hand watch, "we'll be exactly eight minutes and thirty-seven—eight seconds late if we don't leave right now."

"Isn't late supposed to be cool?" Ivan queries quietly, fixing his shirt collar with a small frown.

Adrien shrugs. "Beats me. I'll ask Nathalie to bring the cars around." And with that, he's gliding down the hallway, more giddy than usual.

With his father completely swamped with his work and practically barricaded in his office, he's barely noticed Adrien's wild behavior as of late. Nathalie, being cool like she is, has been letting Adrien get away with far too much—including having every boy in his class over for a pre-Halloween party get-together.

"Nathalie!" Adrien calls from the foyer where the two staircases meet in the middle, hating the way his voice echoes off the walls of the vast estate.

"Yes, Adrien?" Nathalie's smooth and relaxed voice answers as she looks up from her work-desk.

"Can you get Gorilla to bring the cars around please?" Adrien asks as politely as possible.

Nathalie smiles softly, a rare feat. "Of course, Adrien."

"Thank you!" He grins boyishly before making his way back to his room. He throws the door open to find total chaos wreaking havoc amongst the boys. Nino and Kim, paused mid-headlock on Adrien's bed, and Ivan bent over with Max's arms locked around his neck and Nathaniel wrapped around his torso.

"What the—"

"He started it," they all chime simultaneously, each pointing at one another with their eyes blown wide.

Adrien blinks. "Let's... just go...," Adrien trails off after another moment, holding his temple and just backing out of the doorway.

He vaguely hears the boys snickering behind him, but chooses to ignore it.

When he steps out into the chilly air, he hugs his arms, glad that his mode of transportation has seat-warmers. "Okay," Adrien says, turning from the three cars awaiting their arrival, "two to a car."

Adrien opens the door to the first car, and Nino jogs up, sliding in with a wink. Nathaniel and Ivan take the second, and Kim and Max claim the third.

"See ya there!" Kim shouts, his haughty form looking funky bent half-way in the car and half-way out.

Adrien waves before ducking into the rumbling warmth of the car and shutting the door.

"Duuuuuude," Nino drawls, awe coloring his face as his mouth falls open, "sweet ride."

Adrien chuckles nervously, embarrassed. "Thanks."

The cars rolls smoothly across the pavement, and Nino stretches out on the three-person seat across from Adrien. "So," Nino cocks an eyebrow, a mischievous glint forming in his deep chocolate eyes, "how's your crush on Mari going?"

Adrien promptly flushes pink at the mention of his ever-growing affection for the bluenette. "W-what do you mean?" he stammers quickly, not meeting Nino's amused gaze. " _What_ crush?"

"Really?" Nino says flatly, raising his eyebrows. "I know when my bro has the hots for someone—and lately, you've been very... _flirty_ with Marinette."

"What?" Adrien spouts loudly, waving his hands in front of him. "No!" He cringes when his response comes out much more high-pitched than he had intended it. He clears his throat with a subtle cough. "No..."

Nino rolls his eyes. "Well, whatever, I can te—hey, is that Alya and Marinette?" Adrien turns at the mention of Marinette's name so fast, he suffers from a small case of whiplash.

Adrien blinks as the car rolls to a stop in front of a stop sign. There she is. Alya's at her side, clutching her jacket to herself while Marinette grips her uncovered shoulders.

Adrien's first thought as his eyes trail down her form is not PG, so here's his SECOND thought: _She really is a goddess._

Marinette laughs, playing with the long drapes of the silky white dress that curve around her thin form like a second skin until it reaches her waist, where it then proceeds to turn a gentle pink that practically melts down the rest of the loose skirts. A golden hoop holds the thin fabric working as her singular sleeve, and another long cut of white-to-pink silk runs down her back. The front portions of her midnight hair are braided to make a crown around her head while the rest of her hair rests on her exposed—lightly freckled—shoulders.

Before he can even register what he's doing, Adrien is rolling down the window and calling out to them. "Hey! You two need a ride?"

Marinette seemingly turns around in slow motion, looking almost disbelieving.

_Oh **fuck.**  _

Her brilliant blue eyes twinkle magnificently in the receding sunlight as they make eye-contact with his, and Adrien's heart lurches into his throat as he chokes on absolutely nothing but thin air.

"Yeah!" Alya calls back with a wave, grinning at her best friend who looks flushed in the freezing cold.

Adrien rolls up the window and clears his throat, ignoring the smug look Nino's trying to chuck at him. He scoots over when Alya throws open the door and climbs in next to Nino. Being the gentleman that Adrien is, he offers a hand to Marinette. She blushes furiously before taking it and allowing Adrien to guide her into the seat next to him.

"Who's ready to party?" Nino laughs, cutting through the fog of heavy silence that's been threatening to engulf them all.

"Me for sure," Alya chimes, high-fiving her boyfriend. "And I know Marinette's ready to get her groove on as well." She sends a wink at her best friend, whose face puckers.

"Chloé sure has been throwing a lot of parties lately," she notes sourly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Adrien smiles shyly. "I... may have sort of pushed her into throwing this one."

His three friends look at him cryptically.

"I'm trying to get her into the habit of being nicer to people!" Adrien adds hurriedly, splaying his arms out in an 'I surrender' motion.

Alya taps her chin thoughtfully. "I hate to admit it, but if there's one thing that girl can do, it's throw a decent party."

The foursome spends the rest of the car ride laughing and talking about their costume choices. Alya even live-streams everything to her Instagram, claiming that Ladyblog-goers will be interested in her and Nino's get-ups.

When the car finally rolls to a stop in front of Le Grand Paris, Nino and Alya jump out of the car like their lives depend on it, not waiting up for Marinette or Adrien.

"Oh—bye," Marinette chuckles nervously, waving at her best friend's receding back. Adrien offers her a hand out of the car, and she takes it with a small smile. "Thanks."

"Of course," Adrien replies instinctively, his cheeks warming at the feel of her small, delicate fingers curling in his.

Marinette lifts her skirts up and steps onto the pavement slowly, seeming to be afraid of falling over or something. When she is on ground level, Adrien shuts the door and looks down at her. Her cheeks glow in the gentle moonlight. Has it gotten dark already? Her peach lips part, and Adrien swears on his life, literal stars sparkle in her breathtaking cerulean eyes. Her skin, as soft as Adrien had imagined it to be, sends sharp tingles of anticipation worming through him, and he shivers, unable to stop himself from doing so.

This small action seems to break the spell. Marinette's hand slips from his, and her gaze finds the ground. "We should go inside. It's really cold out here." Yet, the whole of Adrien is on fire.

He nods stiffly, biting down on his tongue to stop himself from begging her not to leave this moment behind.

Not waiting a moment longer, she turns and starts walking towards the entrance, her silks sweeping the ground. Adrien balls his hand into a fist.

_Control yourself, Agreste._

He looks down at the hand that had held Marinette's, which is still tingling pleasantly. He shakes his head, an aching feeling weighing down on his chest, before he makes his way towards the pulsing, lively building.

Festive yet classy decorations coat the bottom half of Le Grand Paris, and Adrien takes a moment to admire the effort the staff must have put in everything to make it nice enough for Chloé's liking. The foyer is full of costumed and masked people dancing, eating, and talking as some up-and-coming Parisian pop-star performs on the stage set in-between the two grand scarlet staircases.

His eyes scan the room for his friends—okay, more so Marinette—and he spots Alya's head in the middle of the crowd with her phone in the air, probably recording. He chuckles and continues looking around until he sees Nino leaning against a smoothie bar on the left side of the room—a short girl with familiar midnight locks with him.

Posture relaxed now that he knows where she is, Adrien plants a smile on his face and starts speed-walking towards them. A hand with long, fake orange fingernails grips his arm and spins him around. Long fox ears are perched on her head, and her hair is pulled into a large bun with the exception of two thick strands restricted by hair ties. Her orange and white mask gleams under the unnatural lighting, and Adrien's eyes narrow.

_Lila._

"Adrien!" she greets, pulling him in for the traditional two kisses on his cheeks.

He lightly pushes her back by the shoulder, brow puckering in irritation as he peers around her to where Marinette and Nino are standing. They're no longer there.

"Lila," he acknowledges with a nod, not meeting her gaze. He tries to get around her, but she steps in front him.

"Where are you going in such a rush?" she giggles flirtatiously, her voice a faux sultry sound that makes Adrien internally cringe.

She leans towards him, and Adrien leans away. "I have friends who are waiting for me." He excuses himself with a nod of finality and steps around her.

Guilt at having been rude chides Adrien, making him feel bad for being brash, and he gets distracted by yet another person.

 _"Adrikins!"_ Chloé yelps excitedly, drop-kicking two people out of the way as she had at the party she'd thrown not a few days ago as she jumps on him and kisses both of his cheeks.

_Two in one night? Jeez, Karma has got something against me._

"Chlo," Adrien says, smiling awkwardly and setting her down. "Cool party," he compliments, motioning to the throng of people dancing in clusters on the dance floor.

Chloé's lip curls back into a sneer, making her 'belle of the ball' costume look both funny and ironic on her. "I don't know how so many people got in—it was invite only—" At the look on Adrien's face, she clears her throat and adds, "But it was pretty nice of me to let them stay. Right, bestie?" She smiles up at him hopefully.

Adrien chuckles and bumps her shoulder. "Right."

"Oh!" Chloé exclaims suddenly, attention moving to the snack table. "I see that flask, you incompetent—!"

"Language, Chlo."

"—idiot!"

And with flare like no other, Chloé Bourgeois stomps off.

Adrien smiles and shakes his head before he begins searching the crowd again. Like a magnet, his gaze is drawn to her, and he finds Marinette dancing with some of their classmates, grinning brightly. Adrien's heart melts at the sight, and a goofy smile stretches his lips as he bounds over to her.

"Hey, guys!" he shouts over the pounding music, grinning at the crowd of his friends.

"Adrien!"

"Cool costume!"

"Duuuude, you and Marinette totally match!"

"Aww! You guys did a couple costume?"

"So cute!"

"I knew it'd happen one day!"

Adrien blushes and looks down at Marinette. Her mouth is open, panic washing the blue of her eyes out. She seems frozen, stricken, unable to get the words out as her cheeks darken.

"I—wha— _pfft!"_

"We... aren't together," Adrien says finally, the words feeling as bitter as they sound.

The class visibly droops at this, and Adrien puckers his lips in disappointment.

"Not yet," Alya sings in his ear, causing Adrien to jump a foot in the air.

"Alya!" Marinette exclaims, eyes widening in horror. Apparently she had heard it.

 _'I guess she really isn't into me at all,'_ Adrien thinks with a sigh, his heart constricting painfully.

**"I am Stereo Queen, and you shall all fall victim to my beautiful voice!"**

"Oh, come on!" Marinette hisses under her breath, just loud enough for Adrien to barely hear it. His eyebrows crinkle in confusion

_Maybe she was having a really good time?_

They make eye-contact just as the both turn to run in the opposite direction. Marinette raises an eyebrow in that split second that their eyes meet.

Adrien winks and takes off at a sprint towards the bathroom.

The door flies open with a bang, and he peers around to see if anyone's in there. Screams from the foyer are the most evident of all noises, so Adrien just shakes his head and locks himself into a stall.

Plagg comes zipping out of a pocket in Adrien's costume. "Cool party."

"No time for chit _chat_ ," Adrien says, a smirk curving his lips.

Plagg groans. "Just transform already, kid."

 **"** **Plagg, claws out!"**

Chat Noir barrels through the bathroom door and vaults above all the panic. Most people are running, but some are... ghostly white and drifting towards a girl clad in blue with a pink headphone mic perched behind her ear so the mic is right in front of her mouth. The only other color present is black... the color of her eyes and lipstick.

She begins singing something, and Chat plugs his ears. "I think you need a mic check!" he shouts. "You're comin' off a little pitchy!"

Stereo Queen whirls on him, a sneer curling her lip. "You wouldn't know good music if it hit you over the head!" she booms before clearing her throat. Chat flinches and covers his ears.

_"I—fft! Mmph!"_

Chat cracks on eye open. Stereo Queen spits out a folded napkin, fury etched onto her features. "Who dares—!"

Ladybug lands next to Chat, causing him to jump a foot in the air for the second time tonight. She smirks at him before stepping forward and addressing the akuma. "He was right," she says loudly, catching the akuma's attention as she jabs a thumb at Chat. "You are a little pitchy."

The outline of a purple butterfly hovers over Stereo Queen's eyes, and they squint in rage. "Give me your Miraculous!"

Chat cringes away from her obnoxiously loud voice through the mic. Doesn't help that his hearing is heightened when transformed.

"Best guess for object is her mic," Ladybug states, and Chat follows her gaze to the mic resting in front of Stereo Queen's mouth.

Chat nods. "Got it."

"I'll distract her." And with that, Ladybug is flying across the room.

"Where do you think you're going, Bug?" Stereo Queen spits, whirling around to face Ladybug.

"Just getting some fresh air," Ladybug fires back pleasantly before saluting with two fingers and disappearing through one of Le Grand Paris' windows.

The akuma roars, and Chat covers his ears. "Take care of the alley cat," she demands, addressing the ghostly-white people and pointing directly at Chat.

"Only Ladybug gets to call me that," he growls, eyes narrowing as Stereo Queen disappears into the night after his spotted partner. The poor people under the akuma's trance all sprint towards him at once, and Chat's eyes widen as he leaps out of the way just in time.

He back-flips out the front doors of the hotel, intending to lead the ghost soldiers away from the people inside before ditching them to assist his Lady.

A distant cry has Chat looking around worriedly as he dances around the seemingly Halloween-themed soldiers. "What's going on over there?" he asks himself, frustration lacing his voice.

He pushes one of the minions into another, resulting in a series of dominoes that takes down about five. The remaining four moan sadly and chase Chat as he runs down the street in search of somewhere to safely keep these victims. In the near distance, an unoccupied telephone booth catches his attention.

_Perfect._

Chat slows down a little, allowing for the ghost-impersonators to get close enough to not move out of the way fast enough when he leaps over the telephone booth. The four of them go crashing into the small space, and Chat shuts the door behind them, barricading it with a nearby wood-plank from a construction site.

The mopey people bang of the door, looking devoid of any happy emotion.

"It's almost like the akuma's voice sucks the happiness out them," Chat notes thoughtfully, vaulting towards the direction of the bangs and crashes.

The sounds of a hand-to-hand battle ring in the clearing; Ladybug grunting with effort as her yo-yo clashes against the blue metal plates wrapped around Stereo Queen's wrists.

"Huh!" Ladybug feigns a step to the right and manages to kick the akuma in the side. Stereo Queen stumbles backward, gripping her side as fury bubbles in her expression.

Stereo Queen opens her mouth just as Chat is sprinting towards them, and he instinctively covers his ears.

Ladybug, however, isn't so insightful.

"Ladybug!" Chat shouts, horror coursing through him as Ladybug turns a ghostly pale. Her face screws up in pain before her expression turns blank. She whirls on him, eyes unseeing.

"Get. Him," Stereo Queen growls, a victorious sneer curling her lips.

Chat's heart stops when Ladybug takes off at a deadly fast sprint right at him. He jumps violently and vaults out of the way just as Ladybug chucks her yo-yo at the spot he was standing in.

"What do I do, what do I do?" Chat panics out loud, narrowly avoiding his Lady's attacks. Usually he was the one victimized by the akuma, not Ladybug!

And now the better fighter of the two is trying to unscrew his head with her elbows.

"Ladybug," Chat tries, ducking as Ladybug aims a kick at his head, "please. It's me, your partner!" But she doesn't seem to hear him through whatever pain is coursing through her.

_What could be causing her so much pain that she can't even register the fact that I'm talking?_

Then, Chat notices her lips mouthing something. With every punch she throws and kick she aims, Chat is able to watch her mouth make the same shape every single time.

_A name. She's mouthing a name._

He ducks when she tries to elbow him in the head. He has to find a way to trap her so he can figure out who she's talking about. Then, he can go get that person and cure whatever it is that Ladybug is feeling! Because, if Chat is being honest with himself, he can't defeat this akuma while his Lady is fighting him.

With a grimace, Chat manages to push her off balance with his foot and extend his staff high into the air, knowing Ladybug will follow.

Chat takes a split second to look for Stereo Queen and spots her a block or so over with about 200 ghosts following her.

"Oh, fantastic," Chat mutters sarcastically, landing on the roof of a building. A large water tank sits on top of it, and Chat is struck with an idea.

_It's a long shot... but maybe..._

He goes and stands right in front of the tank just as Ladybug lands. Like he thought, her first instinct is to attack him with her yo-yo. He side-steps the yo-yo, letting it wrap around the tank as he leaps over her and pushes her towards the water tank. She crashes into it, and her yo-yo wraps itself around the water tank, trapping her under its hold.

Chat's jaw drops. _'It worked!'_

Ladybug struggles, yanking on her yo-yo to retract. But it won't.

Chat frowns. _'_ _Must be her Kwami. Won't let the yo-yo answer to her.'_

Ladybug never stops mouthing the name. He steps closer and listens.

_"Adrien, Adrien, Adrien, Adrien—"_

Chat reels back, surprise coloring his expression.

 _I_ _t's me?!_

Thousands of different scenarios pass through Chat's head. What did he do to Ladybug? How does Ladybug know him outside of the mask? Does he know her? Is she closer than he's thought this whole time? Is she okay?

After thinking it over for a minute, Chat shakes his head.

 _I_ _started this, and now I have to finish it._

"I'll be right back, m'Lady," he tells the shell of Ladybug before ducking around the corner. He peers around for prying eyes before releasing his transformation.

Plagg comes stumbling out of the Miraculous, a scowl etched onto his face. "What are you doing, kid?! This is probably the worst idea you've had yet! And you've had _many."_

"I'm fixing the problem," Adrien says, guilt slapping him across the face. "I don't know what I did to her, but I need to figure it out. I think that's the only way to get her back to normal so she can purify the akuma." He holds open his flannel. "Trust me, Plagg."

The Kwami eyes him for a moment before exhaling and flying into the inner pocket of Adrien's flannel. Adrien smiles fondly before jogging around the corner.

Ladybug is still struggling against the restraint of the yo-yo.

"Ladybug," Adrien greets, nodding his head at the super-heroine and stepping in front of her.

Her head snaps up, and her blank eyes, just for a split second, spark cerulean-blue. Her lips stop mouthing his name, and she stops fighting.

"What do you want?" she asks monotonously, leaning her head back against the water tank behind her.

Adrien stuffs his hands in his pockets. "Chat Noir came and got me. He says I can help you."

Ladybug snorts. "You can't help me. It's the other girl you're hurting."

Adrien frowns. "You mean... your civilian identity?"

She nods, eyes sparking again. "I am merely a part of her. Her happiness is gone, and all she can do is hurt because of _YOU!"_ She suddenly begins fighting the restraints again, color washing over her in static-y waves as she tries to free herself and lunge at him.

Adrien takes a step back, surprise and shock not even able to cover how he's feeling. "Wha-what—," he stammers, "—did I do?"

The colorful waves stop, and Ladybug turns pale—black and white—once more. However, when she makes eye-contact with him, her eyes are a vivid cerulean-blue once more. "You never notice me," she says, tears brimming her bluebell eyes. Her lower lip quivers, and panic races through Adrien.

_Ah! What do I do?!_

"Th-that's not true," Adrien consoles, taking a daunting step forward.

She looks away from him, eyes alit in the bright moonlight. "Yes it is," she argues softly. She looks at him again, and an electrical shock shoots through him. "I tried to move past it—to move past you... I'd had it all planned out! I was going to avoid you—was going to stay away, but... ah! You pulled me back in! I was ready to move on! I had accepted that you were never going to feel the same! Then you—you gave me hope, you jerk!" she shouts, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Adrien's heart aches horribly, a crushing pressure in his chest that he just wants to grip in his hands to make the pain go away. "Ladybug..."

"You held my hand and looked at me like I was your world! Made me feel special! Wanted! M-made me think y-you f-felt the sa-same!" she sobs, her head lulling as she leans against the bonds of her weapon.

Confusion clouds every inch of Adrien's being. What on earth is she talking about?! Wouldn't Adrien remember if he had—

**_"Oh—bye," Marinette chuckles nervously, waving at her best friend's receding back. Adrien offers her a hand out of the car, and she takes it with a small smile. "Thanks."_ **

**_"Of course," Adrien replies instinctively, his cheeks warming at the feel of her small, delicate fingers curling in his._ **

**_*    *    *_ **

**_Marinette's hand slips from his, and her gaze finds the ground. "We should go inside. It's really cold out here."_ **

**_*    *    *_ **

**_"_ ** **_We... aren't together," Adrien says finally, the words feeling as bitter as they sound._ **

**_"Not yet," Alya sings in his ear, causing Adrien to jump a foot in the air._ **

**_"Alya!" Marinette exclaims, eyes widening in horror._ **

**_*    *    *_ **

Adrien's breath catches, and his hands begin to shake violently. "Th-that's impossible," Adrien stutters, all the blood draining his face.

Ladybug stares at him for a moment, and the color in her eyes begins to fade.

"No, wait!" Adrien cries out, reaching for her. "Stay! I...," he trails off, his fingers curling as he withdraws his arm. "Are you really who I think you are?"

"I'm not a mind-reader, Adrien," Ladybug says tiredly, the blue in her eyes faded, but still there.

Adrien clears his throat and tries again. "Ladybug, are you Marinette?"

Silence fills the space between them. Ladybug's eyes burst with their usual blue, and Adrien takes that as his answer. He staggers back a step.

"It's fine," Ladybug, Marinette, murmurs quietly, looking away from him. "I know you don't feel the same."

Adrien almost laughs out loud. "You're joking, right?"

Ladybug's eyes snap back to his, widening slightly. "You think I'm kidding?" she queries, though there's not a trace of anger in her voice.

"No," Adrien breathes, a stupid smile stretching his lips as he runs a hand through his hair. "I mean, that would suck if you were."

Ladybug cocks her head, and a wave of color rushes over her skin. "What do y—" She cuts herself off when Adrien marches up and towers over her, his face inches from hers. His heart is pounding so hard and fast, it hurts. Her eyes widen, and her lips suddenly pop a cherry-blossom pink.

Adrien lifts a quivering hand up, lets it hover over her cheek for a moment, then allows himself to gently touch her. Ladybug shivers under his warm skin, and Adrien runs a thumb over the soft skin of her cheek.

"Stop," she whispers, her voice quaking. "Please. I don't want to wake up only for you to be gone."

"Marinette," Adrien exhales her name, the feeling of it hanging in the air between them, "this isn't a dream."

Every bit of Adrien's self-control slips out of his grasp, and he brings his lips to hers passionately. She gasps in surprise before replying to him. The yo-yo holding her back suddenly slips out of place, unwrapping itself from around Ladybug, and hits the floor with a clatter. Her arms twine themselves around his neck, and he presses her up against the water tank.

Though he'd prefer his first kiss with her to be outside of the mask, he can't bring himself to care at this moment in time.

He runs his hands through her soft hair and kisses down her neck, smirking at her sounds of approval before making his way back up to her waiting lips.

 _'Wait a second_ _,'_ Adrien's sluggish mind thinks. _'Oh shit! We still have to beat an akuma!'_

This and this thought only is strong enough to make Adrien pull away. Their lips disconnect with a small pop, and he gasps for air. He pulls back to look at her face and grins. She blinks at him, her cheeks so scarlet, the color makes her mask look pale in comparison.

"That was—"

"—amazing."

"—fantastic."

They look at away from each other bashfully before Adrien forces himself to step away. "Yeah... but we have an akuma to beat."

Ladybug nods and swoops down to retrieve her yo-yo. She freezes halfway up and cranes her neck to look at him. "What do you mean, 'we'?" she asks slowly, straightening to her full height.

Adrien beams boyishly. "You're not the only superhero here, m'Lady."

Ladybug blinks at him again, this time slower. "Oh crap," she finally says, "I am dreaming, aren't I?" Adrien's face screws up, and Ladybug can't help but laugh. "Yeah... There's no way I'm going to be able to process this right now, so just go and get Chat Noir so we can defeat this akuma and have a talk," she states bluntly, waving Adrien off without looking at him.

He chuckles and winks. "See you soon."

"Yeah, yeah."

With a grin, Adrien jogs around the corner, his heart swelling in his chest. How on earth can everything work out so perfectly? He didn't know that such a euphoric feeling existed.

Plagg flits out his flannel, shaking his head. "You two are _disgusting."_

"You love it," Adrien quips playfully.

 **"** **Plagg, claws out!"**

His transformation envelopes him in dazzling green sparks, and the familiar feel of the leather-like material clings to him like a second skin. He stretches and struts back around the corner to where Ladybug waits, eyes screwed shut and arms crossed over her chest.

She cracks an eye open. "Done yet?"

Chat swipes her hand up and plants a light kiss on it, winking. "Yep."

Ladybug scowls and pulls away with an eyeroll. "Akuma time," she deadpans, cocking an eyebrow. "I'll deal with you later." And with that, she's flying towards the commotion in the near-distance.

With a fatigued sigh, Chat is vaulting after her, already mentally preparing himself for the shit-storm of a conversation they'd be having later.

Chat plugs his ear when he catches wind of Stereo Queen's nasty-ass voice. He turns in time to see Ladybug calling upon her lucky charm. He approaches her quickly to see the weapon.

"Earplugs," Ladybug hums thoughtfully. "This is probably the most straight-up lucky charm I've ever gotten." She tosses a pair to Chat and examines him for a second. "This is a dumb question," she starts, squinting, "but do you put them in your ears-ears or your cat ears?"

Chat shrugs. "Guess we'll find out." He slips them into his ears-ears.

Ladybug's mouth moves, but Chat hears nothing. He gives her a thumbs-up before they exchange a nod and take off in different directions.

An army of ghost-people march towards Chat, and he glances up to see Stereo Queen jabbing her pointer-finger at him.

"Why is it always me?" he asks loudly, scowling and puffing his lower lip out before simply pole-vaulting over the army.

Stereo Queen had built herself a gigantic stage and now paces it, shouting out directions to her minions. A circle of victims encapsulate her, making it nearly impossible to get to her.

Chat makes eye-contact with Ladybug and raises an eyebrow. She hesitates before nodding and ducking behind a light-post.

With a grin, Chat sprints towards the stage, barrelling past ghost-people.

**"Cataclysm!"**

The stage becomes dust underneath his claws, and everyone on the stage collapses onto the road. Ladybug swings in and snags the mic from in front of Stereo Queen's mouth. She snaps it, and Chat watches her purify it, awestruck.

**"Miraculous Ladybug!"**

Ladybugs swell around the city, returning everything to normal—including the people.

Ladybug herself comes to stand next to Chat, gazing up at him. He looks down at her, the corners of his lips twitching. "You're so beautiful," he blurts mindlessly, beaming when Ladybug's cheeks flame up under the mask.

"Oh, shut it," she snaps hotly, turning away from him.

"Only speaking the truth," Chat sing-songs, trying to get her to look at him again.

She cracks a smile, and he pokes her in the side. She squirms away and chucks her yo-yo into the distance. He takes off after her, grinning.

After a few minutes of tag, Chat ends up on Marinette's balcony just as Ladybug is de-transforming. He watches, completely entranced, as the magic swirls around her, blowing wisps of stray hair from her face, leaving—Marinette.

She smiles up at him shyly, eyes sparkling in the heavy moonlight.

Chat's heart pounds roughly in his chest, the aching sensation wonderfully painful.

"Are you going to come inside?" Marinette finally asks, shattering the peaceful silence resting in the air between them.

Chat blinks before nodding.

 **"** **Plagg, claws in."**

His transformation dissolves around him, leaving Adrien cold in the biting air of the late night. Plagg zips down the open hatch and into Marinette's room, leaving Adrien alone with her.

Marinette's gorgeous costume leaves her arms bare to the freezing air, and she grips them tightly. The jacket Adrien had been wearing when they had arrived at the party suddenly feels unnecessary, and he hurriedly takes it off and walks over to her.

She looks up at him, smiles, and shakes her head. "You keep it."

"Nah," Adrien says flippantly, waving her off, "I'm not even cold." Partially true. Adrenaline still courses through him from the akuma fight, keeping him fairly warm.

When she doesn't say anything, Adrien rests the coat on her shoulders. She takes it gracefully and motions towards the door. "Want to go inside?"

"Sure," Adrien responds almost breathlessly, following her inside. He lands on her pink bedsheet with a small thump.

Marinette is seated across from him, obvious discomfort scrawled across her face. "So...," she starts awkwardly, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair, "what's up...?"

Adrien nearly laughs in relief. "This is weird, right?"

Marinette nods vigorously, her cheeks tinging pink. "Yeah! Mentally combining these two people in my mind... agh, it's too weird."

"Yeah," Adrien chuckles. "I thought I was gonna go crazy."

The bluenette leans back against the wall, holding a pillow to her chest and frowning. "What? Why?"

At this, blood pools heavily into Adrien's cheeks. "Ah—nevermind," he replies hurriedly, clearing his throat to cover part of the blush.

Marinette eyes him curiously, her lips parting and eyes twinkling in that way they do. "What?"

"I—" Adrien runs a hand through his hair. "Agh. Um... I... _sortofkindofmaybehaveahugecrushonyou_ _,"_ he blurts, immediately slapping a hand over his mouth right after.

Marinette flushes crimson and blinks. "R-really?"

Adrien nods, unable to trust himself to speak.

_Here it comes._

"I... I thought it was one-sided...," Marinette trails off, incredulity tracing her features.

Adrien opens his mouth to say something, then snaps it shut with a confused frown. "Wait—what?"

"Yeah," Marinette laughs breathlessly. "Adrien, I've had a crush on you for months."

The words resonate between them for a straight minute. Finally, Adrien takes a shuddering breath, his heart hammering wildly against his ribcage. "What?"

At this, Marinette takes her lower lip into her mouth and looks away, her crimson cheeks fading to a light pink. "I've had a crush on you for months," Marinette mumbles sheepishly, her eyes darting up to meet his before quickly looking elsewhere.

Adrien blinks, his jaw practically resting on the floor. "I-I thought it was just me," he stammers, wonderstruck. "How did I not see it before?!"

"Why else would I kiss you back?" She giggles, peering up at him through her thick lashes.

"I guess that makes sense," Adrien relents, running through the entirety of the night mentally.

"The real question is," Marinette starts, hugging the pillow to herself before abruptly whacking him with it, "how did _I_ not know that _YOU'RE CHAT NOIR?!"_

Adrien yanks the pillow out of her hand before grinning devilishly. "How did _YOU_ not know?!" he asks, surprise coloring his voice. "How did _I_ not know?!" He whacks her with the pillow. "You're not the one that fell in love with the same person _twice_ _!"_ He whacks her again for good measure, and she giggles.

Her giggling stops, and she cocks her head, eyes comically wide. "Wait, what do you mean _twice?"_

"About that..."

"Adrien Agreste!" Marinette shouts when he jumps down from her bed and makes a break for the trapdoor. "Get back here right now!" she demands, causing Adrien to halt just as he's lifting the heavy door.

"Why should I?" Adrien asks, a challenge residing in his teasing tone.

"Uh..." Marinette searches for a response, mentally face-palming at herself. "Because... my parents don't know you're in my room!"

Adrien glances down at the door before taking a step away from it. "Okay, true," he laughs, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Now answer the question," Marinette orders pointedly, crossing her arms over her chest.

The nervous boy looks both left and right before releasing a sigh. "Fine, fine. I...," he scratches the back of his neck sheepishly, "fell in love with you twice. The first time with Ladybug, and the second time... with you," he explains softly, his cheeks tinging a lovely red.

 _"Oh."_ It comes out as more of a small gasp than an exclamation.

Adrien looks up at her, embarrassed. "Dumb, huh?"

"No," Marinette reassures him quickly, "just very... flattering."

At this, Adrien smirks. "Every princess deserves her share of compliments."

Marinette rolls her eyes before beckoning him to come back up to her bed. He does so with a grin that quickly fades when a thought hits him.

"What about Chat?"

The bluenette frowns, confusion swirling in her eyes. "What about you?"

"Chat is a big part of who I am," Adrien admits. "Did you ever...?"

Marinette blushes a brilliant red, and the corners of Adrien's lips twitch into a smirk.

"I-I," Marinette stutters, looking at anything but Adrien. "Of course not!"

All insecurity about the subject is gone as Marinette steadily turns darker.

"Really?" Adrien practically purrs. He crawls forward a couple of paces, and Marinette falls back against her mattress, big cerulean eyes blinking innocently up at him. "Then why don't I believe you?"

"I don't know," Marinette huffs, crossing her arms and looking to the side. "Alley cats aren't as bright as regular cats, I guess."

"Ooh," Adrien chuckles, subconsciously lowering himself closer to Marinette's face, "touchy."

She sticks her tongue out at him, and it nearly pokes him in the nose. The cogs in Adrien's head begin whirring, and only moments later does he realize how close he is to Marinette. With one twitch of the neck, their lips would brush. It seems as if she's come to this conclusion as well, because her gaze flicks down to his lips.

Out of nowhere, Marinette pecks his nose.

The feeling of her soft, warm lips shoots through Adrien, and he blushes. She smiles bashfully, a question in her eyes.

_Well, she doesn't have to ask twice._

He swoops down and captures her lips in a kiss, his elbows resting on either side of her head. She responds with just as much vigor, fingers hooking around his neck and exploring his scalp.

And, uh, you guys know how this whole scene plays out.

**Author's Note:**

> Xoxo, J.


End file.
